Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation: News in English, 03-01-02

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From: The Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation at <http://www.cybc.com.cy/>

CONTENTS

[01] HEADLINES

[02] CLERIDES INTERVIEW

[03] ERDOGAN CYPRUS

[04] SEZER CYPRUS

[05] DENKTASH MEETING

[06] KASOULIDES ALVARO

[07] KASOULIDES ACCESSION

[08] ELECTIONS TOMORROW

[09] MIDEAST

[10] CHINA SPACE

[11] TAXES UP

[12] WEATHER THURSDAY 2 JANUARY 2003

[01] HEADLINES

-- Turkish leader Tayyip Erdogan has called for a shake-up of Turkish policy on the divided island of Cyprus and urged its leader Rauf Denktash to heed recent protests against his rule.

-- The presidential elections will be officially declared tomorrow for February 16. All candidacies will have to be submitted on January 17.

-- Israeli forces backed by helicopter gunships battled gunmen in Gaza refugee camps today after killing four Palestinians who the army said were on their way to attack Jewish settlements.

And, -- The new Year also brought new taxes and changes to fuel prices. Value Added Tax went up by two percent, from 13 to 15 percent

[02] CLERIDES INTERVIEW

In an interview with Reuters, Mr. Clerides said his decision would depend on issues including the outcome of UN negotiations which have set a deadline of February 28 for agreement on the island, divided between his Greek Cypriot community and Turkish Cypriots in the north.

Mr. Clerides was quoted as saying that of course he is considering it, but he has not decided... if a solution is found on the 25th or 28th of February there will not be any reason for me to ask to continue as President of the Republic of Cyprus.

However, he said if it is not found, then it would be very unwise in the middle of the negotiations to walk out and give the matter to somebody else.

Mr. Clerides, who will be 84 this year, is nearing the end of his second five-year term. Last year he held intensive direct negotiations with rival Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash. In November the UN submitted a comprehensive blueprint for a Cyprus settlement.

[03] ERDOGAN CYPRUS

The United Nations is pressing for a deal before Feburary 28 to reunify the Mediterranean island before entering the European Union in 2004.

Mr. Erdogan told a Turkish television station last night that "if a decision in the direction of a solution does not emerge by February 28 then things will get harder."

Around 30,000 Turkish Cypriots held a rally last week calling for Denktash to quit in one of the biggest challenges to his authority ever seen on the island.

Opponents blame Mr. Denktash for blocking progress in the U.N. peace talks.

"If 30,000 people demonstrate at the same time in northern Cyprus then it means something is going on in northern Cyprus," Mr. Erdogan was quoted as saying.

He said it is not an ordinary or chance event, adding that they "have to think hard about this".

Mr. Erdogan's comments point to differences between his ruling Justice and Development Party and Denktash over Cyprus. Turkey's powerful armed forces, traditional backers of the Turkish Cypriot leader, also have a strong say on policy.

He also said he was not in favour of following the Cyprus policy that has been followed for 30 or 40 years.

[04] SEZER CYPRUS

He also expressed opposition to an imposition of a solution to the Cyprus problem by third parties.

[05] DENKTASH MEETING

It is the first direct contact after UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan submitted his plan for a comprehensive settlement to the Cyprus problem and the decision of the Copenhagen European Council for Cyprus' accession to the European Union.

According to turkish cypriot daily "Afrika", the leaders of the parties which oppose the Denktash policy will demand his resignation, backed by the support of the 50 thousand people who took part in the demonstrations against the Denktash policy.

[06] KASOULIDES ALVARO

Mr. Kasoulides said that if Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash comes forward to the talks reiterating his intransigent positions, then there is no way a solution can be achieved.

[07] KASOULIDES ACCESSION

In statements to CyBC's Third Radio Channel, Mr. Kasoulides said that the Accession Treaty is being prepared and already the European Commission has prepared a draft which will be presented by the country holding the EU presidency, Greece which will also present the protocols for each acceding country.

He pointed out that if no solution is achieved on Cyprus then the Protocol will include a provision noting the accession, after a solution, and implementation of the acquis communautaire of the areas which are currently under Turkish occupation.

[08] ELECTIONS TOMORROW

The declaration will be done with an order of the Interior Minister, to be published tomorrow in the official Gazzette.

Interior Minister Andreas Panagiotou told CyBC that there are 475 thousand registered voters.

[09] MIDEAST

In a separate incident, police said they killed a Palestinian gunman who broke into a home in the Israeli village of Maor, five km from the West Bank. An Israeli couple in the house escaped when his assault rifle jammed.

The army said it sent infantry and armour, supported by assault helicopters, into the Nusairat, Bureij and Maghazi refugee camps in the central Gaza Strip as part of its "continuing battle against terrorism".

The camps are considered strongholds of Palestinian militants waging a more than two-year-old uprising for independence.

[10] CHINA SPACE

The space programme, flagged in the official China Daily newspaper, is becoming a test of national pride as China, long mired in poverty but growing fast after two decades of market reforms, seeks a place on the world stage alongside great powers.

The country's first manned orbiter was now being assembled and tested, the China Daily quoted Yuan Jie, director of the Shanghai aerospace centre, as saying.

The plan follows the entry of the world's most populous nation into the World Trade Organisation and its winning bid to stage the 2008 Olympics.

[11] TAXES UP

Leaded petrol will cost 46.5 cents for a litre of regular and 47.5 cents a litre of super, while super unleaded will cost 46.3 cents and regular unleaded 45.2 cents per litre.

For diesel vehicles, the price of regular diesel goes up to 31 cents per litre while users of low-sulphur diesel will now pay 33 cents a litre.

All vehicle registration fees will increase by 20 per cent, with the fee for a 1600cc saloon car standing at about £340.

Owners of petrol-fuelled vehicles weighing up to 1,016 kilograms will pay 10 per cent more on road tax, while tax for heavier vehicles with petrol engines goes up by 20 per cent.

Road tax on diesel vehicles will go down by 10 per cent.

VAT is not included in the mentioned prices.

The next readjustment of fuel prices will take place on July 1, 2003. Their full liberalisation will come into effect from October 1st, 2003.

[12] WEATHER

Winds will be southerly to south-westerly moderate to strong, four to five beaufort and the sea moderate to locally rough. Temperatures will reach 15 C inland, 17 C on the coasts and six over the mountains.

Tonight, there will be local rain and storms with snow or sleet over Troodos. Winds will be variable light, three beaufort, becoming strong, five beaufort in the stormy areas. The sea will be moderate. Temperatures will fall to 11 C inland, 13 C on the coasts and three over the mountains.

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